and dancers to Town Hall for a show-"A Compás," or "To the Rhythm"-that focusses on the rhyth- mic patterns and textures of flamenco, from the soniquete of the dancers' feet to the intricate phras- ing of the castanets. (123 W 43rd St. 212-307- 4100. March 30 at 8.) GULABI SAPERA The forty-something Sapera was born into the nomadic Kalbeliya Sapera tribe of snake charm- ers from the Thar Desert in Rajasthan. She and her company of twenty dancers and musicians- who play such instruments as the sarangi, a lute, and the algoza, a flute-bring the vibrant, sen- sual, and sometimes ecstatic dances of the Saperas to Symphony Space for two World Music Insti- tute performances. (Broadway at 95th St. 212- 864-5400. March 30-31 at 8.) LIZ LERMAN DANCE EXCHANGE The first incarnation of "613 Radical Acts of Prayer," with a proposed six hundred and twelve more to go, comes to the New Jersey Perform- ing Arts Center. NJPAC's Global Exchange pro- gram sent the company to Japan, where their research focussed on senninbari, the thousand- stitch belts made-{)ne stitch per person-as pro- tection for soldiers in the Second World War. Joined by Japanese guests of widely ranging ages, the troupe uses the belts to explore the intersec- tion of faith and radical action. Lerman's geno- cide study "Small Dances About Big Ideas" shares the program. (1 Center St., Newark. 888-466- 5722. March 31 at 7:30 and April 1 at 3.) "BALLET BUILDERS" In this annual showcase organized by New Cho- reographers on Point, at Florence Gould Hall, pt:;rformances include a duet to Philip Glass's "Etoile Polaire" by Graham Lustig, the artistic director of the American Repertory Ballet, and a spoof of "Giselle" by Christophe Garcia, the artistic director of La [Parenthèse] dance com- pany, of Montreal. (55 E. 59th St. 212-355-6160. March 31 at 8 and April 1 at 3.) CHRISTOPHER CAINES DANCE COMPANY As part of the 92nd Street Y's "Sundays @Three" series, Caines presents sections from his new "Farewell to Music," set to Mozart played live, and explains how the choreography responds to the score. One of the most musically erudite and articulate dance-makers around, Caines should be ideal for this sort of lecture-demonstration. The critic Mindy Aloff leads a post-performance discussion. (Lexington Ave. at 92nd St. 212-415- 5500. April 1 at 3.) CLASSICAL MUSIC OPERA METROPOLITAN OPERA "La Traviata" winds up its season run, with Krassi- mira Stoyanova,Jonas Kaufmann, and Dwayne Croft featured in the cast; Marco Armiliato conducts. (March 28 and March 31 at 8.) . "Andrea Chénier," with Ben Heppner, Violeta Urmana, and Mark Delavan; Armiliato. (March 29 at 7:30 and April 2 at 8.) . The Met's "Turandot" needs big voices to match the spacious architecture and elaborate bric-a-brac of Zef- fÌrelli's renowned production. Andrea Gruber and Rich- ard Margison will take the roles of the Ice Princess and her suitor Calaf, with Hei-Kyung Hong in the role of Liù; Richard Armstrong. (March 30 at 8.) . H Deborah Voigt's weight loss took a little bit of lush- ness out of her voice, there is a glinting touch of steel to ta its place. Her gifts are on generous display in "Die Agyptische Helena;' a Strauss-Hofmannsthal rar- ity from 1928. David Fielding's production, a super- sized version of Garsington Opera's 1997 original, is an English country-house playground suspended be- tween "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and " Enfant et les Sortilèges," but it doesn't get in the way of Strauss's surprisingly compelling music. The colora- tura soprano Diana Damrau almost walks off with the show as the sorceress Aithra; Fabio Luisi dough- tily supports his cast while giving tender care to the complex and lavish score. (March 31 at 1:30.) . The Grand Finals Concert of the Met's National Coun- cil Auditions, a reliable spotter of North America's 18 THE NEW YORKER, APRIL 2, 2007 finest vocal talent, returns, with Stephanie Blythe as host; Armiliato. (April 1 at 3.) + The house celebrates its forty-year residency at Lincoln Center with a gala evening that features Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón in the leading roles of "La Bohème" (Act I), "Manon" (the Saint-Sulpice scene), and " Elisir d'Amore" (Act II); Bertrand de Billy. (April 3 at 7.) (Metropolitan Opera House. 212-362-6000.) NEW YORK CITY OPERA "La Donna del Lago," an ingratiating Rossini opera not heard in the city since 1833, returns in a produc- tion by the director Chas Rader-Shieber. The cast is headed by two solid performers, Alexandrina Pen- datchanska and Barry Banks, who are joined by Laura Vlasak Nolen, Robert McPherson, and Daniel Mobbs; --- , \....-, MUSIC AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM March 29 at 8: Leon Fleisher, the kind of august musician who sets an example for everyone else onstage with him, serves as both conductor and soloist in a concert with the Stuttgart Chamber Or- chestra that features works by Mozart (the Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major), Mendelssohn, and Haydn (the "Farewell" Symphony). + March 31 at 7: Paula Robison, the resident maestra of the flauto at the Temple of Dendur, completes her "Great Viv- aldi" series with her chamber orchestra in a pro- gram that includes the Sinfonia for Strings in B Minor ("AI Santo Sepolcro") and for Flute and Strings in G Minor ("La Notte"). (Fifth Ave at 82nd St. 212-570-3949.) ,- -,,;.-" "'-' ", \ " '1'. t\ \ . '"'. \" \' , " \,'\' \\' \ \ " :.'" ' , .,\.. :,- " ,\, ' ,. '. \ . 4. . " - ,\ .. ....... ", , f Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham, a.k.a. Dean & Britta, at the Hiro Ballroom. George Manahan conducts. (March 28 at 7:30, March 30 at 8, and April 1 at 1:30.) . Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance," featuring the Broadway stars Marc Kudisch and Mark Jacoby along with Myrna Paris, Kevin Burdette, Sarah Jane McMahon, and Matt Morgan; Gerald Steichen. (March 29 at 7:30 and March 31 at 1 :30. These are the final perfor- mances.) . "Madama Butterfly;" with Angela Maria Blasi, Misoon Ghim, Raul Melo, and Grant Y oung- blood; Manahan. (March 31 at 8.) (New York State Theatre. 212-721-6500.) ORCHESTR.AS AND CHORUSES NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC The hearty yet tasteful style of the conductor Colin Davis is always appreciated at Avery Fisher Hall. His first concert of the week is a one-night-only pairing of Mitsuko Uchida and Radu Lupu, who will be out front in Mozart's Concerto for Two Pi- anos in E-Flat Major, K. 316a; Uchida is the solo- ist in Mozart's Concerto No. 19 in F Major, and Lupu is featured in the Concerto No. 27 in B-Flat Major. (March 28 at 7:30.) . Lupu repeats his solo concerto in a concert that also includes a work by one of Davis's other favorite composers, Sibelius (the "Lemminkäinen Suite," with Thomas Stacy tak- ing the English-horn solo in "The Swan ofTuonela"). (March 29 at 7:30 and March 30-31 at 8.) (212- 875-5656.) GEORGE BENJAMIN AND THE ZANKEL BAND The gifted British composer, master of a complex and lapidary style, presides over a concert that features such notable works as "Viola, Viola" and "At First Light"; the pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard also contributes works by Webern (the Variations, Ope 27), Schumann, and Debussy. (Zankel Hall. 212-247-7800. March 29 at 7:30.) ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA David Robertson conducts his energetic ensem- ble in two concerts at Carnegie Hall. March 30 at 8: Bartók's First Piano Concerto (with Pierre- Laurent Aimard), Sibelius's Second Symphony, and the New York première of George Benja- min's "Sudden Time." . March 31 at 8: Music by Mahler, Ravel (" Shéhérazade," with the mezzo- soprano Susan Graham), and John Adams ("Har- monielehre"). (212-247-7800.) THE TALLIS SCHOLARS The magisterial British choral group, presented by Miller Theatre, offers works by Monteverdi, Palestrina, and Gombert in the capacious acous- tic of Riverside Church. (Riverside Dr. at 120th St. 212-854-7799. March 31 at 8.) LE JARDIN DES VOIX William Christie, who has an ear for vocal tal- ent, leads his fine ensemble of young singers in a generous selection of Monteverdi madrigals as well as scenes from operas by Monteverdi ("Orfeo" and "The Coronation of Poppea"), Handel, and Haydn; Christie conducts the orchestra of Les Arts Florissants. (Alice Tully Hall. 212-721-6500. March 31 at 8.) ACADEMY OF ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELDS The renowned London orchestra, long associated with Neville Marriner, collaborates with the vio- linist Joshua Bell in music by Vivaldi ("The Four Seasons") and Tchaikovsky (including the Sere- nade for Strings). (Carnegie Hall. 212-721-6500. April 1 at 2.) RECITALS MARC-ANDRÉ HAMELIN The Canadian pianist, an intriguing artist with a magnificent technique, comes to the 92nd Street Y to offer works inspired by song, including four